A great spot for a scrumptious breakfast, robust cortados, or an evening beer is Fuchsbau, right off the Landwehrkanal in kreuzberg. The service isn’t the warmest, but you can sit outside undisturbed for hours drinking their fine brew. The menu is divine, offering fresh salads and sandwiches perfectly prepared. Evenings get pretty crowded at this beloved neighborhood watering hole, but thete’s always enough space for juuuuuuust one more.
Fuchsbau. Planufer 93, Kreuzberg.
Shisha pipes, mint tea, and backgammon are the staples of Horus, the local Egyptian cafe on Hasenheide. The neighborhood’s Arab community spends afternoons and evenings here, toting waterpipes and gossiping. The cuisine is authentic and reasonably priced. You might feel a little awkward if you walk in alone, but the crowd is welcoming and provides an important glimpse into a major Berlin subculture.
Horus. Hasenheide, Kreuzberg.
Forget sweet and sour pork. The best from Shanghai is served at Tang’s, and it’s indeed delicious. (The photo doesn’t do the food any justice.) Particularly the vegetarian stuff is so good that even meat eaters such as yours truly love it.
Tang’s Kantine, Dieffenbachstraße/Gräfestraße
Unfortunately (and generically) named Coffee Corner doesn’t look like much: it’s a tiny coffee shop in Kreuzkölln, the bastard area that cannot decide if it wants to be hip Kreuzberg or scruffy Neukölln. So Coffee Corner used to score just through its location on Kottbusser Damm next to the canal.
Enter new owner Enrico, who just took over and has started over with a lot of love, yummy muffins and some great lattes. He’s as charming as it gets, so have a coffee to go, or sit outside to watch the bustling life outside. Twice a week you can come here for a break from the street market just opposite.
Coffee Corner is on Kottbusser Damm just opposite Ankerklause, U Schönleinstr.
Pull up a reading chair and recline in the sun at Goldmarie, a stylish and relaxing kiez-cafe near the number one Sunday chill spot, Admiralbrücke.
Goldmarie offers toasted bagels packed with dried tomatoes and olives, plus creamy and cool iced lattes. Location is prime for hanging out on a warm afternoon or winding down the evening with a quiet drink.
If the weather isn’t cooperating, don’t worry. The soothing golden lights and vanilla floral decals will charm you in the cafe’s interior.
Goldmarie. Grimmstrasse 29 on the corner of Böckhstrasse, Kreuzberg.
Your world turns upside down while admiring the furniture glued to the ceiling in Madame Claude’s gravity-defying bar. Silverware, umbrellas, wooden chairs, and kitchen sinks dangle from above, making you want to do a handstand to set it all upright.
Stop by for a drink and friendly atmosphere, but don’t expect much from the music. The bar has strict orders from the neighborhood to keep the noise down. So much for keeping your arse over the tea kettle.
Madame Claude’s. Lubbenerstr. 19, Kreuzberg.
Smack in Görlitzer Park with all its ruins (old trainstation, former playground derelict fountain…) you’ll find little cafe Edelweiss. The indoors feature two small party rooms for rent, but outside in the sun is where it’s happening.
Görli, as the park is affectionably called by its inhabitants, is not for the landscapingly inclined. Rather, it looks a bit like a shabby, somewhat neglected mess. That said, it’s probably one of the favorite hangout places for students, Kreuzbergers and tourists alike who congregate here to read in the sun or play sports (soccer, baseball, juggling, frisbee and Scandinavian import Kubb are most popular).
And Edelweiss puts you right in the middle of all that. They serve some pretty good full grain guacamole & dried tomato bagels, too. (No photo since I ate it too quickly.)
Cafe Edelweiss is inside Görlitzer Park, near the entrance towards U Görlitzer Bahnhof, Kreuzberg